A lead pastor and founder of an evangelical ministry based in Lagos State, identified simply as Akintunde, has been accused of assaulting his wife, Modupe, who now seeks a dissolution of their union.
According to Modupe, her husband assaulted her after she accused him of infidelity at their home in the Onosa community, Ibeju-Lekki Local Government Area of the state.
The couple's marriage, blessed with five children, started experiencing challenges when Modupe, on separate occasions, accused her husband of having a romantic affair with two church members, Punch reports.
Modupe claimed that her husband slapped and beat her up for making the accusations and she was hospitalised after losing consciousness during one of the attacks.
She told the publication that her marriage had collapsed as her husband, who accused her of influencing church members to quit as a result of the adultery allegations, had sent her packing from their matrimonial home. As a result, she is seeking a divorce.
Modupe said, "What caused the fight was because I accused him of adultery with female church members. I discovered he had an illicit affair with two female church members but when I confronted him, he threatened and beat me up.
"The first time that I got to know that he was having an illicit affair with a female church member was when I contracted an infection from him. I confronted him about the infection and he told me he was also experiencing similar symptoms.
"We called our nurse and she treated us. The same nurse also treated a female church member for the same infection and informed me about it. That was how I got to know about their romantic affair."
Modupe said after confronting her husband, their relationship worsened, adding that instead of doing things to improve the condition, the pastor allegedly got into another illicit romantic relationship with another female church member.
She said, "This second incident of confronting my husband over alleged adultery with another female church member happened last year. The fiancé of the female church member got to know about the illicit affairs and he informed some members who stopped worshipping at our church.
"My husband started saying I was using the adultery allegations to influence the church members to leave, whereas it was the fiancé of the church member he was romantically involved with. He became angry and ordered me to pack out. I disagreed because there was no place for me to go.
"But for my safety, I was advised to give him space. I left with some loads and returned around December 2023 to spend the festive period with my children. When he realised I was at home, he locked me in one of the rooms for two hours, despite one of my children begging him."
The midwife said she left the house and returned in January 2024, adding that sometime in April, she was at her matrimonial home when she took delivery of a lady's child and her husband, who was bent on her leaving the house, allegedly attacked her till she fainted.
She said, "He slapped me and pressed my neck till I fainted. I woke up with water all over my body. I also saw that people had gathered around me. He kept saying I had overstayed in the house and he wanted me to leave, whereas it was not only his money we used to build the property. I also contributed my money when we started building the property and the church.
"I have left the house to treat myself. I spent a week in hospital and as I am speaking with you, I am still going to the hospital for treatment from home. It has not been easy eating because my neck is still hurting. It was our neighbours who called my family members, who came to take me to the hospital after I regained consciousness."
Akintunde denied the allegations but said that efforts were on to divorce his wife.
He said, "I didn't attack her; she was the one who wanted to injure and kill me on that day and I have my evidence. She wanted to cut my private parts. She once told me that if my organ is not working for her, it won't work for anybody again.
"She reported the case at the Epe Division; she should sue me in court, I have my evidence. We went to the Epe Division and when we were asked to meet at the court on Monday, May 6, 2024, I went there but she and her family members didn't come."
Regarding infidelity allegations with female church members, Akintunde said, "I am a pastor and I have a congregation and she used to bully everyone that she saw me with. I wanted to divorce her and she had already packed her load out of the house but she later returned her load."
Reacting to the allegation about contracting an infection from a nurse and infecting her, Akintunde said, "She is not well. Thank God the nurse is still alive. She is going beyond her capacity. If not for our children, I would have taken her to a criminal court. I want to divorce her and the case is already in court."
The state Police Public Relations Officer, Benjamin Hundeyin, confirmed to the publication that the case had been charged to court.
He said, "The case was charged to court last Thursday. There was evidence he (Akintunde) assaulted his wife and it was on that basis that we charged the case to court."
